Customer Reviews

Othello

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is my favorite game. The rules are easy enough so that you can learn in 5 minutes. However, the game changes as your skill level changes.

If you are young, this is an excellent mind-expanding game, plus a lot of fun.

If you aren't very good at games, this can be a good social game that is quick to learn. Just make sure you play someone at your skill level.

If you love strategy games, this game is for you. If you haven't played it since you were a kid, you probably haven't appreciated the intense strategic elements in this game. I think this game coined the phrase "A minute to learn, a lifetime to master." It is a lot of fun going through the mastery process.

The quality is not as good as I remember it as a kid, but the board will hold together even though the green felt will wear quickly.

And, as a trivia note, Othello is the brand name of the generic game of Reversi. Reversi is available for free at many online gaming sites.

First, let me say this game is fun if you are playing on a quality game board with quality playing pieces.

Othello is a great game for young children. The rules are easy to learn and this game provides a solid education in basic strategy.

However, I set aside my own nostalgia for this game and looked at the reality of what's inside the box.

Here's the negatives:

This game board is cheap.

The poor construction means poor durability; the faux felt is already peeling away from the board.

The board is designed so tight that the game pieces almost have to be snapped into place when you flip them.

The game pieces are thinner and harder to pick up, especially for older hands (beware grandparents).

Steer clear of this version from Mattel. See if you can find a better quality version of the game. It makes a difference.

Message to Mattel: I'd rather pay the extra $10-$15 for you to provide better-quality materials. Cheap construction like this makes me think twice about buying your other games.

You put down your black disk, enclosing your opponent's white disk between another black disk already on the board. You then flip the opponent's disk from white to black. You and your opponent take turns until there are no more available moves and the player whose color dominates the board is the winner.

There. That's all there is to Othello. And a little dust was all there was to Vesuvius.

Beneath its innocent appearance and simple game play, Othello conceals one of the most challenging and enduring strategy games known to humanity. Believed to be older than chess and checkers (going back to when it was called Reversi), Othello is a game of unexpected twists and turns, mind-bending strategy and constant challenge. It's one of a handful of strategy games where the outcome isn't decided in the first few moves. If you're playing black, there might be 2 or 3 white disks on the board as the game nears the end. Then, in a few moves you never anticipated, your opponent is suddenly flipping disk after disk to the opposite color. And all you can do is sit there and watch it happen.

Because of its non-linguistic, purely symbolic game play, it's a game many parents teach to their children and soon, find themselves getting whomped over and over again. A child's ability to think abstractly and look ahead hasn't yet been hindered by the adult obsession with language and the written and spoken word. Like learning to draw, becoming skilled at Othello is a function of the "right" brain: thinking without words, seeing everything, pondering every possibility. It's possible to sit in the middle of a busy airport playing Othello and, over time, becoming completely oblivious to everything else going on around you. Othello can easily be played by opponents who don't speak the same language, which is one of the reasons Othello tournaments attract participants from all over the world.

The product's well-known tagline of "A minute to learn, a lifetime to master" might sound like advertising hype but it's true. Computers have been programmed to play checkers and chess nearly flawlessly, but the same still can't be said of Othello.

I've seen this game often in the stores but passed it up in favor of the flashier games with the namebrand attached.

We are gamehounds and I have so many games it was getting harder to find games we DIDN'T have! Enter: Othello. What a fabulous game!

My daughter (she's 7) picked up how to play very quickly. This is a game of strategy, not chance. In that aspect it is much more educational than so many other games out there which rely on chance and sometimes leave kids with "poor gamemanship" attitudes. I really found myself thinking hard after every move my daughter made. Now that is a GREAT game! Challenging on all levels.

This is also an excellent game for math skills. I highly recommend this game.

This is a simple game that is easy to learn, but never fails to surprise. Each game is different, even if you play against the same opponent. Although I am typically not very good at strategy, Othello provides satisfaction of my thirst for a challenge, yet does not frustrate me. Parents be warned: this game is quiet and takes patience. Older kids might appreciate it more.

Sometimes known as Reversi, Othello is a great game in itself but (like draughts) is also a useful starting point for children too young to master the complexities of chess. The game can appeal to people of all ages who enjoy strategy games including those who feel intimidated by chess. Meanwhile, chess players who have difficulty finding other chess players of comparable ability can enjoy playing Othello - it is much easier to find suitable opponents for this game.

The rules are simple. The playing area is a squared board. Each square is a space for a plastic disk, which is white on one side and black on the other. To begin with, the four central squares are occupied with two disks showing white and two showing black. Each player has half of the remaining disks, taking turns to place a disk on an unoccupied square with their own color showing, adjacent to a disk showing the opponent's color and in a direct line with one showing the player's own color. The idea is to place the disk in such a way as to allow the player to turn over disks showing the opponent's color to their own color - as many as possible within the rules - while making the opponent's task as difficult as possible. As the game progresses, a player may be able to place a disk next to several showing the opponent's color, opening up lines in different directions and turning a lot of disks over.

People soon learn that being able to place disks in the four corners is often the key to winning the game. If you can get at least three of the four corners showing your color, you will almost certainly win (but not always). So you have to be careful to avoid placing disks in the squares adjacent to the corners, as this gives your opponent a potential opening (even though it may not be immediate).

While six and seven year old children can easily learn the rules, the game is sufficiently interesting (if you like strategy games) that it can entertain people of all ages.

Othello has one significant advantage over chess and draughts - it is not unusual for one player to build up a commanding position only to lose it quickly. In chess and draughts, it is very rare for a player to lose from a commanding position.

This is a classic, old-school style game that requires no batteries, just brain power. My 6-year old learned it very quickly and is now addicted.

My only complaint is that the board itself is not as well made as it used to be. There were clear plastic covers for the chips, which are not included on this version of it. It's a shame, since it's easy for the chips to get jostled out of their troughs.

All in all, a fantastic, must-have game!

I picked up Othello one day on a whim. My aunt and I love board games and strategy games above all. We sat down, read through the instructions, and started playing... and played... and played... and played.

The rules are simple (easy enough for my six year-old son to figure out) and the game requires that you use strategy and truly plan out moves rather than simply plunking your disk down anywhere. My son, although he requires a bit of assistance from time to time, has fallen in love with the game. My aunt and I have even allowed it to usurp our long time favorite game of backgammon. There's no need to talk, so it even keeps us entertained durring illnesses.

This game is a great educational game. Also alot of fun. Given the price what should have i expected regarding quality. The material is cheap plastic, cheap felt, and NO rollover cover to hold the pieces in their slots. It's also hard to place a piece down on the board or into the side slot. It's like they asked some chinese company to design the SMALLEST amount of plastic in use to make this game as cheaply as possible. I don't expect this to last for years to come! Either way if you want Othello, I highly recommend you search for the more durable but also more expensive version.

I beat the MS-Windows and Nintendo versions of this game, playing at the master level. Yet I still enjoy the quirks of a human opponent. It seems as simple as Simon, but it's as challenging as chess. My trusty Othello board has provided me and my friends countless hours of entertainment over the years.